THE END OF the school year is a monumental time for everyone. Students finish off exams, professors finally get a break, and those of us who had a year-long contract with our workplace hand in transition reports.
I’d like to dedicate this column to writing a short transition report for the new Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) executive to help them improve relations with students, services, and the campus media.
Don’t trash talk anyone publically
There have been several instances when the current SFUO exec spoke poorly of the student press in an open forum without bringing their issues to us first. Don’t do that.
Not only does it make you seem completely unprofessional in front of students, but we will call you out and you will look stupid. Instead, bring your issues to us—we’re very likely to correct our mistakes.
Let your employees speak for themselves
Let me tell you a story. At the beginning of the year, I wrote about improvements to 1848, a campus bar. Among the people I contacted was the bar manager who was happy to comment but couldn’t do so without permission of the SFUO executive. When I asked, I was told his message won’t differ from the SFUO’s and I wasn’t to interview him.
This isn’t the only example of the SFUO not letting its employees speak for themselves. If you don’t trust people who work for you to say good things about your business or to lend their expertise on an issue without your oversight, I don’t trust you to be a strong student leader.
Give interviews even when you don’t want to
For the most part, this year’s executive was open to be interviewed—unless they were asked about something they didn’t want to say. When I called and emailed the SFUO regarding the cost of the National Day of Action, it was like we didn’t have an executive. But when asked to comment about something positive they had done—like the tax clinics—one phone call was enough.
The SFUO is in charge of student money and resources, and it’s important to be transparent and accountable for them. Those two words—transparency and accountability—are thrown around a lot during elections. The incoming executive should make sure those promises are kept throughout the year. They get paid $30,000 per year with student money to serve student interests.
—Jane Lytvynenko
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Not going to lie – all of these problems were primarily related to the failure of one executive member: she failed to respond to emails, communicate with the student media or let her employees speak to other executive members without going through her first, bashed la rotonde (who got a nice jab back at her), etc. I’m confident that Anne-Marie will make this position what it should be, or atleast, a great improvement from the status quo.
To be quite honest, I fear the SFUO 2012-2013 executive. I have worked personally with one member and it has been less than pleasant. I know for a fact that this member does not share the sames views as his/her voters; safe-space, budgets, team work, and accountability are jokes to this person. Furthermore, after attending the transition Round Tables, I fear that the 2012-2013 SFUO executive will lack communication either among themselves, or with their students. I, fortunately, will not be here to witness the anticipated chaos. For those of you who will be here, keep them in line, it is your money, your student experience, and your University that they are running.